Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan was truly exhausted. After everything that had happened in the past few days, her body had reached its limit. She had pushed herself to reach the Supply Station.
She didn't insist on entering the Supply Station; instead, she sat outside with Gu Ze, exchanging light banter. After a few rounds of playful conversation, she could no longer resist the overwhelming fatigue and leaned against Gu Ze's shoulder, falling asleep.
With no worries about danger, Xu Nuan's face appeared serene and beautiful as she slept, her lips slightly curled up. It was unclear whether she was dreaming of something pleasant or if this was simply her sleeping expression.
Gu Ze quietly watched Xu Nuan's sleeping face. After gently wiping her face clean with a handkerchief, he took out his necklace and began fiddling with it one-handed.
Time flowed by, and when Xu Nuan finally stirred awake, it was already dusk. The evening glow still hung in the sky, casting vibrant colors over the land. Everything seemed beautiful, and most importantly, they were still alive.
There was no need to express the feelings of being trapped in danger or to explain how difficult it was to escape the crisis; as long as they could see each other one last time, everything remained unspoken yet understood in their hearts.
When she turned her head, Xu Nuan noticed that Gu Ze had also fallen asleep. He held his backpack close to his chest and leaned against her, his expression calm and his features still handsome. She felt a sense of déjà vu; a similar scene had occurred back in the Stone Forest. At that time, she had felt moved and bewildered, but this time, she found herself experiencing a sense of joy.
Unconsciously smiling, Xu Nuan exhaled softly and tilted her head back to gaze at the colorful clouds. A weary bird flew back to the Forest at dusk, and it seemed that the creatures hidden in the shadows were also too tired to show themselves.
In that moment, for the first time, she did not feel that everything gained from this game was cruel.
Gently closing her eyes, Xu Nuan recalled the markings she had discovered near the Cliff. Her smile faded into a bitter grin; her initial obsession had become a joke. She would remain anxious until she uncovered the truth. If she let go of everything and moved forward, would she find a different outcome?
As this thought crossed her mind, a pool of blood appeared before her eyes, where two people struggled and shouted for her to leave.
She opened her eyes wide as bitterness spread through her insides. She remembered dodging a car and accidentally crashing into a fire hydrant on the street; it was then that she had injured her head.
"Could it be that this impact caused my memory issues?"
Xu Nuan unconsciously murmured, her voice soft enough to wake Gu Ze, who had been leaning against her.
"I'm sorry for waking you."
As the weight on her shoulder shifted, Xu Nuan turned to look at Gu Ze with a sense of guilt. She had long noticed the dark circles under his eyes and, recalling his silence about Xu Hang and the others, she understood to some extent what might have happened. This man always exerted himself in ways she couldn't see; she wasn't sure whether to call him foolish or incredibly capable.
Capability. Meeting Gu Ze's slightly dazed gaze, still not fully awake, Xu Nuan averted her eyes. It seemed she had to admit that this man had already succeeded halfway.
"Warm, what was that impact?"
His bleary eyes, slightly hoarse voice, innocent expression, and tall stature all combined into a striking image.
Xu Nuan hurriedly stood up, gripping the doorknob of the Supply Station anxiously. She didn’t open it but turned towards Gu Ze instead.
"If we don’t go in soon, they’ll start to worry."
Only then did Gu Ze lean against the wall with one hand while slinging his backpack over his shoulder with the other. He then reached out to hold Xu Nuan's hand resting on the doorknob, his gaze landing on her messy hair.
Xu Nuan felt a flush of embarrassment as she realized how disheveled she looked after several days without washing her hair and rolling around in the mud during the rain. She knew she shouldn’t care about appearances in the game, yet she still blushed under Gu Ze's scrutiny. A charming rosy hue appeared on her pale face.
"I’ve noticed the scar on your head for a while now. So, you were injured when your parents had that car accident."
The scar had long been hidden beneath her hair; whether she wore it down or tied it up, no one would have seen it.
"What did you do while I was asleep?"
Xu Nuan immediately shifted the topic.
Gu Ze turned his head with a sigh, then looked back at Xu Nuan with a helpless expression.
"I just wanted to analyze the reasons behind your memory loss. What if someone drugged you and left some aftereffects?"
Xu Nuan narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Gu Ze, appearing somewhat suspicious.
Noticing her doubt, Gu Ze tried to appear sincere, his deep brown eyes wide open, trying to convey that he was a good person, a Pursuer, not a rogue.
"I," even though Xu Nuan had become much more Rational after entering the game, remnants of her previous eccentricity lingered. Those with unusual thought processes could often discover clues about one thing from another.
"Did something happen to you? You weren't so eager to investigate my memory loss before; you were worried I might remember uncomfortable things."
Gu Ze might have done something for her; she could guess that. Whether it was narcissism or understanding of Gu Ze, she was neither a block of wood nor a stone. She had feelings—hard but genuinely beating. Therefore, what Xu Hang worried about—that Gu Ze was silently giving without Xu Nuan knowing—would not happen in such a tragic manner.
However, for Xu Nuan, in most cases, she would rather not know what Gu Ze had done in the past.
Shaking her head, Xu Nuan dispelled the various memories stirred up by Gu Ze and stared seriously at him to indicate that this matter needed to be taken seriously.
Gu Ze, who could never find a way to deal with Xu Nuan, had no choice but to speak the truth rather than secretly resolve the issue on his own.
"I actually discovered something in the telescope."
Gu Ze released his grip and took out the telescope from his backpack. He casually disassembled it and extracted a precise instrument.
"It should be due to the magnetic field issues in this area that this instrument is experiencing some operational anomalies, which allowed me to find it. You should know its specific purpose."
Gu Ze glanced at Xu Nuan, who looked puzzled, and let out a slight sigh.
"Of course, this poses no threat to us."
He wanted to explain a bit more to Xu Nuan, but she hurriedly opened the door to the Supply Station, seemingly unwilling to investigate further.
Her reluctance didn’t stop Gu Ze from wanting to know more.
The two entered the Supply Station one after the other, both with grim expressions. The others, who had rested well, were too lazy to inquire about any disputes arising from this and said nothing.
Xu Nuan went to take a shower while Gu Ze headed to the Storage Room to sort through the medicines. After a while of selecting, he suddenly looked up at several paintings on the wall.
There were irregular lines forming portraits of people, orderly squares creating colorful garden scenes, and some indistinct oil paintings that were hard to decipher.
"There must be someone with a lot of flair among the designers."
After silently observing the paintings for a moment, Gu Ze finally spoke those words. As he lowered his head again to continue organizing his things, he remembered that he hadn't told Xu Nuan about the sound that would come from discovering the underground area of the Supply Station.
"Is it making a sound?"
Gu Ze hesitated for a moment, then set down what he was holding and began to wander around the Supply Station. He occasionally stomped heavily on the floor or lay down when no one was around to listen closely to the sound, even pulling out tools to pry up the floor tiles.
To no avail.
He couldn't help but start to doubt whether he had misheard at first, but it seemed impossible to have made the same mistake twice. This Supply Station likely held secrets of its own.
Gu Ze sat down and began to recall. After a while, he heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, he saw Deng Yinyin, who looked well-rested and energetic. His brow instinctively furrowed.
It was clear that Deng Yinyin wanted to say something, but Gu Ze was not in the mood for conversation. He pretended to be tired as he stood up and casually tugged at his clothes.
"I wonder if the warm water is ready; I could use a shower."
He sidestepped Deng Yinyin and walked straight toward the door, leaving her with her hand outstretched, unable to say anything.
"Damn it!"
Even that low growl was trapped in the lounge behind him.
At that moment, Xu Nuan had just finished washing up. Seeing Gu Ze's cautious expression, she blurted out, "What trouble have you gotten into this time?"
Seeing Gu Ze's momentary daze, Xu Nuan realized that her words were somewhat unkind. After all, Gu Ze was the future heir of Gu Group, even though he had always kept a low profile hidden within Heng Technology. He was also the unattainable idol in college, excelling in character, appearance, and family background, always pursued by many.
Unfortunately, she didn't know much about Gu Ze in the past. After entering the game, she perceived him as someone who seemed gentle but was actually unpredictable and had ulterior motives. He could fight, barbecue, dive, and nothing seemed to challenge him—be it climbing mountains or trees.
Overall, her impression of Gu Ze was one of admiration. However, occasionally his actions made her think that this so-called heir also had the potential to be a rogue. Whenever something happened, she unconsciously placed Gu Ze into the role of a rogue. Looking back now, it seemed quite unfair to him.
Before Xu Nuan could find a way to redeem her earlier words, Gu Ze had already lowered his head and walked toward the bathroom.
Xu Nuan opened her mouth and met Xu Hang's slightly reproachful yet pitying gaze, finding it hard to articulate her feelings at that moment.
Was this man really that easily affected?
After everyone tidied up and took a short rest, they finally arrived at the 'Vast Gobi' level.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but barren Gobi composed of coarse sand and gravel. Compared to a desert, there were sparse green sagebrushes scattered about, but this little greenery did nothing to lift everyone's spirits.
Looking around, the Gobi stretched endlessly until it met the blue horizon. Occasionally, several larger Wind Pillar Stones stood coldly by the side of the road, while strong winds swept through, sending sand and stones flying and obscuring the scant greenery.
The air was dry and cold, lacking moisture. Xu Nuan and the others instinctively tightened their collars. As her gaze wandered aimlessly around, she suddenly noticed something scattered on the sandy ground in the distance, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Comment 0 Comment Count